Near Newbury test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 28 roundabouts and 14 turns across 75 navigation steps.
This is an independent 28.3 km practice loop near Newbury test centre, taking roughly 29 min to drive. It is NOT an official DVSA examiner route, the DVSA does not publish those, but it uses the same local roads and junction types an examiner is likely to choose.
Along the way you'll meet Bath Road Junction, Andover Road Interchange, St Johns Roundabout and Queens Road Roundabout. Knowing the approach, lane and exit at each one before you arrive is the difference between a planned manoeuvre and a last-second reaction, and last-second reactions are where avoidable faults come from.
On this route you’ll practise roundabout approach & exit, independent driving and sustained concentration. Driving it a few times before your test builds the muscle memory that frees up attention for observation and decision-making on the day.
The loop is anchored by 20 catalogued landmarks, including shops, parks, pubs and named junctions, so you can navigate it from recognisable features rather than a memorised turn list. Rehearsing it in this way means that on test day the area already feels familiar, and your attention is free for the traffic rather than the map.
Whatever the route, your practical test follows the same national shape: an eyesight check, a couple of vehicle-safety questions, around forty minutes of general driving, one reversing manoeuvre chosen by the examiner, and roughly twenty minutes of independent driving following signs or a sat-nav. Practising on roads like these is how you make each of those elements feel routine rather than new.
Treat this route as practice, not a script. The value is not in repeating one fixed sequence but in getting comfortable with the road types, speed changes and junction patterns of the area around Newbury test centre, so that whatever order your examiner chooses on the day, none of it is unfamiliar. Drive it a few times, focus on smooth observation and planning, and it becomes one more stretch of road you already know, which is exactly the kind of preparation that turns nerves into confidence.
If you are practising with a supervising driver rather than an instructor, take it steadily: agree the manoeuvre spots in advance, keep to a comfortable pace, and stop to talk through anything that felt rushed. And remember the basics that apply on every road, mirrors before any change of speed or direction, signals in good time, and a following distance that gives you room to react. Those habits travel with you long after the test is passed.
What you’ll actually do on this loop, counted from its turn-by-turn directions.
This route helps you practise:
The full 75-step drive on real, named roads (about 29.2 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive west.
42 m
Turn right.
70 m
Turn left onto Hambridge Lane.
Hambridge Lane667 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Hambridge Road/B3421.
42 m
Exit the roundabout onto Hambridge Road/B3421.
Hambridge Road338 m
Keep right to stay on Hambridge Road/B3421.
Hambridge Road208 m
Turn right onto London Road/A4. Continue on A4.
A4834 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit.
60 m
Exit the roundabout onto Bath Road (Benham Hill)/A4.
Bath Road (Benham Hill)330 m
Keep right to stay on A4.
A4189 m
Turn left onto Henwick Lane.
Henwick Lane424 m
Keep left to stay on Henwick Lane.
Henwick Lane415 m
Turn left onto Bowling Green Road.
Bowling Green Road557 m
Turn right onto Henwick Lane.
Henwick Lane49 m
Keep left to stay on Henwick Lane.
Henwick Lane344 m
Keep right to stay on Henwick Lane.
Henwick Lane80 m
Turn right onto Bath Road/A4. Continue on A4.
A4519 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Bath Road (Benham Hill)/A4.
6 m
Exit the roundabout onto Bath Road (Benham Hill)/A4.
Bath Road (Benham Hill)514 m
Keep left to take London Road/A4.
London Road277 m
Move right to stay on London Road/A4.
London Road641 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto London Road/A4.
27 m
Exit the roundabout onto London Road/A4. Continue on A4.
A4979 m
Turn right onto A339/Robin Hood Roundabout.
A339228 m
Keep left to take Western Avenue/A4.
Western Avenue423 m
Keep right to stay on Western Avenue/A4.
Western Avenue168 m
Keep straight to stay on Western Avenue/A4.
Western Avenue80 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Western Avenue/A4.
54 m
Exit the roundabout onto Western Avenue/A4.
Western Avenue78 m
Keep right to stay on Western Avenue/A4.
Western Avenue229 m
Keep left to stay on A4.
A41.2 km
Enter Bath Road Junction and take the 2nd exit.
Bath Road Junction55 m
Exit the roundabout onto A34/E 05/Newbury Bypass.
A346.0 km
Take the Andover Road Interchange exit onto A343 towards Highclere/Wash Common.
70 m
Turn left to take the A343 ramp towards Highclere/Wash Common.
188 m
Enter Andover Road Interchange and take the 1st exit towards A343/Newbury/Wash Common.
Andover Road Interchange6 m
Exit the roundabout towards A343/Newbury/Wash Common.
Andover Road200 m
Keep right to stay on Andover Road/A343.
Andover Road667 m
Keep left to stay on Andover Road/A343.
Andover Road361 m
Keep left to stay on Andover Road/A343.
Andover Road1.2 km
Keep right to take Andover Road/A343.
Andover Road105 m
Keep right to stay on Andover Road/A343.
Andover Road1.6 km
Enter St Johns Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto St. John's Road/A343.
St Johns Roundabout34 m
Exit the roundabout onto St. John's Road/A343.
St. John's Road181 m
Keep right to stay on St. John's Road/A343.
St. John's Road233 m
Exit the roundabout onto A339/Greenham Road. Continue on A339.
A339423 m
Enter Kings Road Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A339.
Kings Road Roundabout52 m
Exit the roundabout onto A339.
A339942 m
Keep right to take A4.
A4156 m
Move right onto A339/Western Avenue.
A339860 m
Keep right to take London Road/A4.
London Road232 m
Keep right to stay on London Road/A4.
London Road114 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto London Road/A4.
31 m
Exit the roundabout onto London Road/A4. Continue on A4.
A41.4 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Tull Way.
31 m
Exit the roundabout onto Tull Way.
Tull Way415 m
Turn right onto Sowerby Street.
Sowerby Street214 m
Turn left to stay on Sowerby Street.
Sowerby Street255 m
Turn left onto Lily Gardens.
Lily Gardens16 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Lily Gardens.
Lily Gardens16 m
Turn right to stay on Lily Gardens.
Lily Gardens255 m
Turn right onto Sowerby Street.
Sowerby Street214 m
Turn left onto Tull Way.
Tull Way105 m
Keep right to stay on Tull Way.
Tull Way109 m
Keep right to stay on Tull Way.
Tull Way200 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Bath Road (Benham Hill)/A4.
37 m
Exit the roundabout onto Bath Road (Benham Hill)/A4. Continue on A4.
A4514 m
Keep left to stay on London Road/A4.
London Road277 m
Turn left onto Hambridge Road/B3421.
Hambridge Road565 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Hambridge Lane.
4 m
Exit the roundabout onto Hambridge Lane.
Hambridge Lane666 m
Turn right.
13 m
Turn left.
97 m
Make a sharp right.
86 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Newbury · Residential + A-road practice loop loop. Always drive to the road and conditions you see, not the list — signs, signals and other traffic take priority.
These are the real named features along the loop, straight from our route catalogue. Use them to recognise where you are and to anticipate the hazard each one brings, not to memorise a fixed order.
Decide your lane and exit on the approach to each of these, get set up early.
Expect busier traffic, pick-ups and pedestrians around these.
Useful navigation anchors on the loop.
Pedestrian crossings and parked cars are common nearby.
Easy landmarks to navigate the loop by.
Frequent stop-start traffic and pedestrians, keep your speed down.
Roundabout
Watch your lane discipline and signalling at St Johns Roundabout, Queens Road Roundabout. Get into the correct lane early and check your exit mirror before leaving.
Navigate by these 20 catalogued landmarks rather than a memorised turn list, an indicative loop, not an official DVSA route.
Newbury Self Storage
Start near Newbury Self Storage.
Clothing Warehouse Ltd
Continue to Clothing Warehouse Ltd.
Henwick News
Continue to Henwick News.
Henwick Park
Continue to Henwick Park.
Swan
Continue to Swan.
Lidl
Continue to Lidl.
Mercedes-Benz
Continue to Mercedes-Benz.
Newbury Fire Station
Continue to Newbury Fire Station.
Waitrose
Continue to Waitrose.
Shell
Continue to Shell.
Bath Road Junction
Continue to Bath Road Junction, taking the junction with good observation.
Andover Road Interchange
Continue to Andover Road Interchange, taking the junction with good observation.
Gun
Continue to Gun.
St George the Martyr Church
Continue to St George the Martyr Church.
Pet Practice
Continue to Pet Practice.
St Johns Roundabout
Continue to St Johns Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
St John the Evangelist
Continue to St John the Evangelist.
Newbury Bus Station
Continue to Newbury Bus Station.
Queens Road Roundabout
Continue to Queens Road Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Cinch Storage
Finish back near Cinch Storage, completing the loop.
35 roundabouts · 9 turns
24 roundabouts · 14 turns
38 roundabouts · 25 turns
20 roundabouts · 10 turns
This route is 28.3 km and takes about 29 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Newbury test centre, not an official DVSA route.